Chapter 185
Instead of answering, Seong-jun Lee nodded his head, his expression calm. However, David couldn't easily open his mouth.
"...Some of our members have questions for Hunter Seong-jun Lee about the recent battle with Zhang Xiaoying. If it's alright with you, would you be willing to come to the conference room and answer their questions?"
"Questions?"
"If it's uncomfortable or unpleasant, you can refuse."
David hastily waved his hands at Seong-jun Lee's question, tilting his head slightly.
It was understandable, as the Guardians members had been holding meetings without sleep due to the incident with Zhang Xiaoying and Kenneth.
Although many opinions were expressed during the long meeting, the conclusion was unanimous:
'Do not upset Hunter Seong-jun Lee under any circumstances.'
The opinion to accommodate Seong-jun as much as possible was absolute.
His evaluation within the Guardians had risen even further after defeating Zhang Xiaoying and Kenneth.
Therefore, the Guardians didn't want their relationship with Seong-jun to sour over trivial matters. If he expressed his intention to refuse, they were prepared to give up without a moment's hesitation.
Fortunately, Seong-jun didn't show any signs of refusing.
"Who requested this?"
To make such a request on behalf of the Guardians, the person must have significant influence.
Indeed, the name that flowed from David's lips was the most influential figure within the Guardians.
"The leader... that is, it's Anna Ferris's request."
"..."
Unlike his initial willing response, Seong-jun didn't answer immediately.
He couldn't understand Anna Ferris's intentions behind her actions.
'She could do as she pleases...'
The United States, especially the area near Wall Line, was virtually Anna's domain.
She could summon Seong-jun at any time using methods like the witness questioning mentioned earlier.
There was no need to call him in while representing the Guardians like this.
'I don't understand.'
As Seong-jun's eyes narrowed, David hurriedly spoke up.
"I don't know the exact purpose either, but... she assured that there would absolutely be no harm to you, Hunter Seong-jun Lee."
Although there were many peculiarities, no hostility was apparent.
'I suppose there's no reason to refuse.'
In fact, it might be better to accept.
Originally, Seong-jun intended to figure out the motivations of the Guardians members.
'It would be more efficient to handle this all at once rather than meeting them one by one.'
He would discern the tendencies of the two members he hadn't yet figured out through these questions.
Having set the purpose for this schedule in his mind, Seong-jun slowly nodded.
"I accept."
"Shall we... move right away?"
"There's no need to postpone it."
"I'll escort you."
The moment they stepped out of the hotel entrance under David's guidance, reporters began bombarding them with questions.
Most were predictable and common questions, but some had noticeably pointed intentions.
"It's speculated that this fight occurred due to the relationship between China and Korea. What exactly happened in the past? Is it related to Feilongcheng and Wei Jigang, who recently immigrated to Korea?"
"The Korean Returnee Association has been silent for a long time since Hunter Seong-jun Lee began his full-fledged activities. What's the relationship there? Have you exercised direct force?"
Naturally, Seong-jun didn't answer the questions.
In fact, he didn't even listen and ignored them completely.
However, David, who was walking alongside him, was different.
With a grim expression, David's gaze was fixed on the reporters spouting rude questions.
"Hunter Seong-jun Lee... I'm sorry, but may I take care of this for a moment?"
It seemed like he wanted to chase away the pesky flies himself, and there was no reason to refuse.
"Don't mind me, do as you please."
"Thank you for understanding."
After a brief greeting, David turned around and snatched the microphone from the reporter who had asked the rude questions.
"Your intentions are too impure."
Gripping the microphone in his hand, David addressed the reporters who had been throwing out discourteous questions.
"...This will be the first and last warning."
Crack-
With a crushing sound, the microphone in his hand crumbled into fine powder.
Faced with David's blunt expression of intent, the reporters all fell silent, unable to utter a word.
"..."
In the silence that fell in front of the hotel, David spoke declaratively to all the surrounding reporters.
"Insults, criticisms, and unfounded speculations about Hunter Seong-jun Lee will absolutely not be tolerated by me, David. No, by us, the Guardians."
Pausing briefly, David glared once more at the reporters who had fired off the rude questions.
"I think you understand what I mean, so we'll be going now."
Shooting sharp glances at the reporters until the very last moment, David turned around without hesitation and opened the car door.
Seong-jun naturally settled into the back seat, and the vehicle carrying him and David, who had been escorting him, disappeared from the reporters' sight.
The subject of their work and potential headline had vanished.
But none of the reporters showed disappointment.
Instead, deep smiles were etched on their faces.
Having worked around Wall Line, they were somewhat familiar with David's current behavior.
"This is more than we expected."
"I knew he was a big shot, but I didn't think he'd get the same treatment as Anna Ferris..."
If it were someone else, one might think they were showing excessive kindness for the sake of relationships or personal gain.
But David Fincher was known for his strict meritocracy.
He evaluated people solely based on their skills and abilities.
In other words, Seong-jun Lee's abilities were now comparable to Anna's.
It meant that the abilities of Hunter Seong-jun Lee from Korea far exceeded public expectations.
"Hunter Seong-jun Lee... just how skilled is he?"
"To think a small country from the East would grasp world hegemony..."
An unprecedented event in world history was unfolding.
This wasn't just a simple news story.
It could be said that they were witnessing history with their own eyes.
Various headlines and article contents were floating through the minds of the reporters with gleaming eyes.
* * *
"I acknowledge his extraordinary abilities... but no matter how I look at it, this was too heavy-handed."
"It was clearly self-defense. If Zhang Xiaoying hadn't started trouble in the first place, Hunter Seong-jun Lee wouldn't have had to take action, would he?"
The debate had been going on for a long time, but there seemed to be no sign of reaching a consensus.
In fact, not only Victor and Nicholas, but even Renart Richter, ranked 7th, seemed poised to continue the conversation for days to come.
But fortunately, their discussion didn't last much longer.
To be precise, it had to be cut short.
Because the central figure of the debate had arrived at the conference room.
Thud. Thud.
The moment Seong-jun Lee, with indifferent eyes, arrived at the Guardians' conference room under David's guidance.
"Welcome, meow! Thanks for accepting our invitation, meow!"
Hop.
The black cat, Anna, jumped high onto the desk and waved her front paw with pink jelly pads at Seong-jun.
"You probably know why we invited you, meow. The members here have some questions, meow."
Faced with the curious and questioning gazes of the gathered Guardians members, Seong-jun immediately spoke up.
"You seem to have a lot of questions... feel free to ask right away."
As soon as Seong-jun gave permission, Renart Richter, who had been arguing non-stop, opened his mouth as if he had been waiting for this moment.
"As you know better than anyone, Zhang Xiaoying and Kenneth's current physical condition is beyond recovery. To be precise, they can't even perform daily activities. They're no different from being dead, just barely alive."
As Renart spoke, he waved his hand, and a large screen appeared on one side of the conference room.
It vividly displayed Zhang Xiaoying and Kenneth, barely clinging to life, their bodies entangled with tubes.
"In contrast, the injuries Hunter Seong-jun Lee sustained are hardly worth calling minor... It was an overwhelming difference, to say the least. You could have simply subdued them. Of course, since they attacked first, it can be clearly considered self-defense."
Renart's gaze narrowed as he stared at Seong-jun.
"However, I can't shake the feeling that pushing them this far was somewhat excessive. Was there perhaps an unavoidable circumstance or special reason?"
"...Why does that even matter?"
"Since it's been ruled as self-defense, nothing can be done immediately. However, we Guardians prioritize justice and the protection of the world. If you used unnecessary force... Hunter Seong-jun Lee, it would be difficult for us to maintain a good relationship with you."
Seeing Renart speak with such a serious expression, a mocking smile appeared on Seong-jun's lips.
"How absurd... To think that those who call themselves the world's protectors could be so amateurish."
At this dismissive remark, hostility flared in Renart's eyes.
But Seong-jun didn't care.
Instead, he spoke while boldly meeting Renart's gaze.
"Engrave this clearly in your mind: justice with only ideals like yours will only bring about destruction and death."
"What are you trying to say?"
"It's wiser to eliminate threats definitively rather than showing clumsy mercy and creating future problems."
"..."
Under Seong-jun's cold gaze, Renart unconsciously shrank back.
"To think you called me here for such trivial questions, I'm deeply disappointed."
They were below the standard, so to speak.
But fortunately, they weren't completely below standard.
Perhaps knowing that they couldn't deny it even to themselves, they weren't stubbornly arguing back.
They were just keeping their mouths shut tight, continuing their thoughts.
'Well... they might barely pass.'
Although somewhat lacking, they weren't like Zhang Xiaoying, whose purpose was completely misaligned.
It might be a bit troublesome, but with some teaching, they could become useful forces.
Having finished assessing Nicholas and Renart, Seong-jun spoke up.
"If you have no more questions, let's talk about why I came here."
Seong-jun's gaze fixed on Anna at the center of the conference room.
Although it was a sudden situation, the expression of Anna, who could be called the representative of the Guardians, was utterly calm.
From the beginning, there was no way Seong-jun would have agreed to such an invitation without any purpose or reason.
However, her composure didn't last long.
Because a bombshell declaration came out of Seong-jun's mouth.
"I'll get straight to the point, Anna Ferris. Disband the Guardians."